Well- this is the almighty sequel to Tortall's Twin part 3. It can also be considered a sequel to Twins Children: The Wildmages. Read that before you read this, or a lot of stuff is given away. It is all staged in a very messed up Tortall.
Read the back of the book (a.k.a. the summary):
Faeya is the child of Neal and Kel, and slightly- deranged. She was sitting on Cleon's lap when he committed suicide, and she has to deal with the trauma. Meanwhile, a ragtag (and famous, guess who it is) couple returns to Tortall and tries to fit in at court with their own daughter, Myranda. This is not anti-Daine.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's characters or anything, but I do own what I created so hands off! This disclaimer applies to the whole story.
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Twin's Children: Faeya
Chapter 1: Faeya
A girl, maybe fifteen, looked out the window. It was raining, the drops drizzling down the panes. Suddenly the water took on a dark red color, becoming thicker. The blood left streaks on the windows. Then she was three again, sitting on the man's lap, blood pouring all over her. Only one thing was different: she didn't scream. She would never, ever scream.
Faeya sat up in bed, sweating. A dream. That was all it was, a dream. Laying back down again, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. It was just a dream. Not real. Even after twelve years, she never forgot. Her parents never said anything about it, they had never told her, but she remembered. She didn't know who the man was, only that whenever she asked her mother who it was she turned away and ran off. So she stopped asking.
***
Keladry of Queenscove, the Shang Snow Leopard, ran her fingers through her hair.
"It's not right, Neal!" she said. "A girl her age should have fun- make friends. All she ever does is go for long walks, or sit by the window in her room and stare out, for hours at a time."
Her husband sighed and sat down. "It's just a phase."
"A phase, Nealan."
Neal winced as Kel said his full name. "Okay, maybe it isn't."
Kel turned around, angry. "Of course it's not a phase! She's been like this almost all her life, ever since…"
Neal walked up to her and put his arm around her neck. "I know. But what can we do? She'll barely even speak to us. Or anyone else, for that matter."
"All we can to is hope…"
***
Veralidaine Sarrasri, otherwise known as the Wildmage, looked up at the building, clothes billowing around her in the fierce wind. "You think we can do this without getting ourselves murdered?" she yelled to Numair over the wind.
"Of course!" he yelled back. "Do you underestimate me? But I was good friends with the king- once." He winced, remembering the past few decades. "Anyway, he should know we want to make amends. We haven't affected him personally, you know. And I'm sick of life on the run. I want to settle down, stop living with my life on the line."
Myranda, their thirteen-year-old daughter, sneered. "Oh, really? You've only said that like a million times. I don't think I quite understand it yet."
"Myr-" warned Daine.
"Don't you 'Myr' me. You know very well how I feel about the whole thing. I want to go home to Carthak! Tortall is cold and miserable and there aren't any bloody slaves! You have to pay them!"
"Its called freedom." Numair said dryly.
Myr snarled at him. "I call it savage!"
Daine sighed. "Look, I know we haven't been the best parents, but that's no reason for you to be disrespectful. You may enjoy slaves, but seeing people used that that makes my skin crawl."
"And you'd sure know about it," Myr snapped.
"Enough." Numair put up a restraining hand. "We're here, no matter what objections you might have. And Daine, I'm sure the King won't turn down another mage." He grinned, flashing suprisingly white teeth.
"Yes, I'm sure he'll have some use for me," Daine retorted. "Now let's get going."
They walked up to the palace gates, and with a few sly words to the guards, were let in.
***
Faeya heard a knock on the door.
"Fae?" called her mother. "Are you in there?"
"Enter." Fae said. Her mother went in, closing the door behind her. "There's a new couple at court," she said. No reply. "I knew them when I was younger. They have a daughter about your age, I believe." Still no response. "Oh, Fae!" cried her mother. "I've tried so hard! But ever since Cleon-" she broke down and started to cry.
Fae looked up at Kel, surprised. She had never said anything about a man called Cleon. Perhaps- no, that was too much to hope for.
"We were going to marry, you know," Kel continued. "But gods blast it, My parents set me up with an arranged marriage with your father."
Now Faeya was really surprised. Kel and Neal had always seemed perfect for each other; she could never imagine them marrying against their wills. "Then-" Kel sniffed, "Before wedding, you were born, then. It hurt me, to see you as Neal's daughter when I loved Cleon. It was because of Chisakami. She drove Cleon mad- he tried to kill me. Then- I- Neal- well, the result was you. But then Thom broke the spell, but it was too late. I couldn't marry him because of my parents. I was born Mindelan, you know. And at the wedding-" Kel cried harder. "I found that I loved Neal. Maybe not as much as I loved Cleon, but I didn't really regret marrying him. And Cleon saw. He killed himself before I could stop him. And you-" Kel stopped, unable to continue.
Fae just sat there, openmouthed. She had never thought that her mother would love someone other than her father. Or that the man who stabbed himself would have any connection with her mother. Kel controlled herself, and let out a weak smile. "The Yamanis would be ashamed. They wouldn't speak to me for years. But I could never have any more children. I'm not like- ah, never mind, it's a bit of a secret. But you're my daughter, Fae, I want you to be happy."
Faeya couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother, pouring her heart out? Her mother, the stone-face whose expression wouldn't give you the time of day? It was too much to swallow. "I'll think about meeting her." She said grudgingly.
***
Daine and Numair, Myr lagging behind them, walked to the king's audience chamber. It was basically a waiting room- you had to wait a long time if you wanted to see the king.
They opened the door into the waiting room and sat themselves down on the padded chairs before anyone could protest. Sitting across from them was a young man with dark hair and a dark expression. He was poring over a book in his lap, and didn't even look up when they entered. Suddenly he jumped as if shocked, and dropped the book immediately. Slowly he lifted up his head to stare at the newcomers with an unflinching gaze. Black fire gathered around his clenched fists, ready to strike out.
"Give me one reason why I should not kill you right now," he said in a calm voice.
Daine studied his face. "Who are you?" she asked.
"I am your son!" he yelled, and the magic in his hands lashed out at Daine and Numair. Numair instantly put up a protective shield around them.
"Arandiall?" he questioned.
"Damn straight," Aran said, seething. "You abandoned me. You left me in an orphanage, like some toy you were tired of playing with."
"Aran," Daine said, "It's not our fault. We tried to raise you, but we were running from the law. We couldn't give you the parenting you deserve."
"So you decide to give me none at all? What about Jaunne? Tekkiake? Rowan?"
"Tekkiake? Rowan?" Daine repeated.
"Your children," Arandiall sneered. "That stormsing that seduced you- Tekkiake is your child. That deer you, ah, had some fun with when you lost your human self- Rowan is your child. You know Jaunne. You caused her death, you bitch. She was the rightful heir to the Carthaki throne. Now Carthak is ruled by some regent who doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Tekkiake escaped from prison and disappeared, and Rowan and Farrah- I don't know what happened to them. By miracle, I escaped and came to Tortall. But you'll pay- I was apprenticed to the greatest mage in the world." More fire gathered in his hands. "And you will die like the scum you are."
"Hold it!" yelled Myranda. "How come I wasn't told about this?!?"
Everyone stopped. "Well…" Daine said evasively, "You never asked…"
"Bullshit. Now I find I have a brother, and two half-siblings, and a dead half-sibling who was the Empress of Carthak. Why the hell wasn't I told?!?"
Daine sighed. "Sit down. Now, I was forced to marry the heir to the Carthaki throne, Kaddar. I escaped, but I was pregnant and had a child, which I named Jaunne. Then I…"
(***If you wanna hear the rest, read Twin's Children: The Wildmages***)
Arandiall, all the time, just sat there, murder in his glance. "You've got me on your trail, man. Tekk and Rowan are to much of pacifists to kill you. But I swore the day Jaunne died that I would avenge her death. I thought it would mean killing Numair, since Tekkiake said Jaunne killed you. Did Numair bring you back from the dead? Like you did him?"
"No," said Daine. "I never really died. Numair kept me alive with spells until he could reach me."
Myr wrinkled her eyebrows. "Like you did him?"
Daine blushed. "Well, originally, Numair was fourteen years older than I. So I killed him and brought him back to life ten years later so we could be closer to the same age."
Arandiall spat at her feet. "A disgusting waste of magic."
"And what do you mean you were apprenticed to the greatest mage in the world?" Numair demanded.
Aran laughed. "Father, father, such an egotist. I was apprenticed to Thom of Trebond, idiot. You really are so pompous as to think you are the greatest mage in the world? Thom could kick your ass."
Numair was turning purple. "You really think, so, fool? Well I challenge this 'Thom of Trebond' to a Mage's Duel!!"
"You're in for it…"